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Asthma - Prevention
To expose or not to expose: that is the question.
Sorry
Shakespeare, but if you have an infant, this is a far more important
question than almost any other.
And it’s the question that just about every parent grapples with at some point in her children’s lives. Many parents try to reduce exposure to potential allergens in hopes of sparing their child from eventually developing asthma. Other parents however, believe that a
little
exposure to potential allergens builds up their children’s immune systems
and makes them more resistant to developing the disorder.
And for the
longest time, the medical community sided with those who shielded their
children from as many possible irritants as possible.
But now, evidence seems to be mounting for the theory of exposure.
That’s
right! Some studies suggest
that early exposure to those potential allergens that may prompt an attack
may, indeed, help your child build a very real immunity to these substances. This in turn may actually prevent asthma from ever
developing.
Having said
that, there are still a few ways you can help keep asthma at bay in your
family. And, yes, some of these
do involve staying away from some allergens.
If
you’re pregnant – don’t smoke.
You already know this, I’m sure.
But now you have one more additional reason to give up smoking during
your pregnancy. Need we say more?
Don’t
smoke inside your home when your children are very young. If
you do smoke and can’t seem to conquer the habit yet, then don’t smoke
inside your home while your child is very young.
Exposure to second hand smoke not only ups your child’s chances of
developing asthma, it also increases her vulnerability to developing other
respiratory problems.
Breast
feed your infant for at least her first six months.
Believe it or not, breast milk helps to strengthen your baby’s
immune system. This is
especially important during the first six months of your baby’s life. And the added bonus is that this stronger immune system will
help your little one resist other respiratory infections as well.
If
at all possible, avoid day care for the very, very young.
This might not be possible, considering the cost of living these
days. Two-income households are
common these days just to provide the very necessities of life.
Group day care centers are chock full of the very substances that can
easily cause a respiratory infection. Consider
some alternatives. Is there a
relative you can pay to watch your baby while you’re at work?
And now, one
word on prevention of adult-onset asthma: aspirin.
As strange as
that may sound, it may very well be the case.
The evidence is by no means conclusive yet, but at the very least
it’s an intriguing possibility. The
discovery was made, by the way, quite by accident. Researchers were testing aspirin for its effectiveness at
preventing heart attacks, when the results seemed to provide some amazing
statistics.
Researchers
noticed that adults who took aspirin regularly were about 22 percent less
likely to be diagnosed with asthma. Those
conducting the study are the first to caution that this is just the
preliminary evidence. They also
want to make it clear that taking aspirin will prevent an asthma attack if
you’ve already been diagnosed with the disease.
In fact, they
want to remind those who already have asthma that taking aspirin can
actually be a trigger to an attack. Aspirin
can actually cause a bronchospasm, which results in an attack.
And that is
why this finding is so terribly intriguing.
You certainly don’t want to start taking aspirin just to prevent
asthma. But, if you’re
already taking it for your heart or to alleviate your chronic pain, then
perhaps you can breathe easier (pun intended) knowing you’re not going to
develop asthma.
Note: Some statements in this article may not be
approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and
should not be taken as professional medical advice.
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